#Boatswain's Song

[coldfruitwater]

nine people I want to get to know better 💌

thanks for the tag @boatswainer yayyy

LAST SONG? golden age - ethel cain

FAVORITE COLOR? i love a deep blood red. honorable mention to slate blue though

CURRENTLY WATCHING? been working my way through every episode of no more jockeys since early july, probably going to end up rewatching the terror again when i run out of that

LAST MOVIE? possession 1981 yippee

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY? sweet!!

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? in a relationship for the first time Ever it's crazy

CURRENT OBSESSIONS? jasmine tea & peach jam & the beauty of the husband by anne carson & i finished reading a biography of ory wilson a little while ago so i've been thinking about her a lot

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED? "gromit reading" (looking for a new profile picture for my school email account lol)

tags under the cut (no pressure & also sorry if you've done this already oops)

@abrighterwound @atyourperil @fructidors @johntorrington @ninatheninth

@oceancamp @partialsun @polaraaace @sonnywortziks

[connorsnothereeither]

“And now it’s time for a breakdown…” /ref

Welcome to my (fairly long lol) breakdown of the thought process behind the Ulysses CMV background!! ✨ I’m gonna go through it shelf by shelf because I think that’s easiest, so… buckle up! :D

TOP SHELF:

On the far left, we have an Assassins Creed Apple of Eden! Most of the soundtracks to the Ulysses vods came from AC: Odyssey, and AC: Origins! The Ancient Greek and Egyptian music fit him perfectly, who’d have thought. Including the main song from Ulysses epilogue, “Reunited” from AC: Odyssey. Behind that is of course my hand-bound copy of On the Brink of Scientific Discovery. I had to work out a way to get my earliest entry into the Fable Fandom in there somewhere. Beside it is the skull, and a copy of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, which I’ve spoken about being an inspiration for Ulysses. Along with, of course, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and Herodotus’ Histories (Herodotus being the main inspiration for epilogue Ulysses and who he became towards the end)! And naturally, James Joyce's Ulysses. I had to. Besides that again is another copy of Frankenstein, along with more Ancient Greek works, specifically Euripides’ Medea and the works of the poet Sappho! And a copy of Moby Dick, since Ahab and Ishmael were both concept names for Ulysses during character creation! Besides those, the smaller penguin books, are some of my favourite details but some of the harder to spot because they’re so small. One is another poem by Sappho, Come Close. But the OTHER is The Fall of Icarus by Ovid, which I absolutely had to put in there. Impossible to see, but I know it’s there, and it makes me happy. Of course, once again on the theme of writers is a bust of Shakespeare, but behind him, is actually the set of D&D dice I bought inspired by Ulysses, which are made to look like they have kelp and seaweed inside them! ✨ and finally on the top shelf is a ship, in reference to his sailing and ship in the epilogue art, and a mini Greek style amphora.

MIDDLE SHELF:

On the far right, at the bottom, is the black knight chess piece, the same as Ulysses tattoo!! A reference to both the Trojan horse and him being a piece in the Telchin’s game. Behind it, the tiki mug, is a somewhat vague reference to the Sea Dragon Tavern! It’s never explicitly stated that they serve tiki drinks, but it certainly feels like a place that would. Tucked in, barely noticeable, is the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Both a reference to more ancient mythology, but also, in a little way, a reference to Lenarius. A book on the treatment and care of the dead. I think it would suit him. Make Len happy. More Greek texts (the Iliad and Odyssey again) this time including Ovid’s Metamorphosis, and Virgil’s Aeneid, a reference to both the mythological epic itself and to my little guy Virgil, from SkyBound SMP. Propped against those are a boatswain’s whistle, which I like to think is a little gift from Vorago and Casus. A captain’s call, to get someone’s attention no matter where you are on the sea, along with a small canon, which is actually from St Augustine Lighthouse, and felt very nautical. Behind those is a set of tarot cards, displaying the Magician, a symbol of manifesting and living to your true potential, which is fitting for Ulysses. All of that is of course propped on ANOTHER copy of the Odyssey. The full moon, as a little reference to his bestie Fenris, and a bear statue, which is a little nod to the fact I also voiced Deltavera (and the statue was actually a gift Jamie got me one of the times we met up)! Beside that is a handful of little bottles! The dice inside are mostly just because… that’s what I keep in those little potion bottles, but maybe they’re a reference to Wheel Not Fake or something too, who knows lol- and a little white axolotl plush. My son. My own personal little Perseus, I bought him the second I saw him akgsksgs ✨🫶

BOTTOM SHELF:

Almost done lol. The globe on the end, both a reference to the cartography/travel, and the fact that it’s turned to just show the ocean, rather than any countries. The sea is his home, after all. Another axolotl plush, peeking out from behind yet ANOTHER copy of the Iliad and Odyssey, which is balanced on a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy, as another little reference to Virgil from Bound SMP. Behind that is a whisky bottle, which is empty in the photo but not in the CMV, as a reference to the Kelpin’ alcohol! And finally, the stack of books in the corner. The folio society set of The Greek Myths are some of my favourite books I own, and I had to include them, along with a few more potion bottles, which actually include the dice from various Cantripped One Shots (I have special dice for characters and one shots when I can)! The stack of books behind the scrolls and lanterns also include Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (one of the inspirations behind Ulysses & Vesperae’s relationship) and Circe (more Odyssey references), along with world myths and Icelandic Sagas, and The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, which was an early and incredibly influential historical text about the Roman’s (which somewhat inspired the structure and lore of the broader Telchin society!), on top of which is more mythology like the Welsh Mabinogion, the Norse Poetic Edda, and a horror anthology titled The Great God Pan and Other Horror Stories, many of which inspired Brink!! The lantern is, in all honesty, the only there not there for a specific reason… I just thought it looked cool :)

So yeah! That was my overly long analysis of my overly detailed Ulysses set background! Barely any of it is visible in the CMV, but for my little farewell to the character and world I had spent so long falling in love with, I wanted to make the background something special 🫶

[tickldpnk8]

Sandman casting so far

Aside from returning castmembers, this is what I’m seeing so far for our casting for the upcoming episodes as they align to storylines and arcs. (I’m pulling from Tudum and Redanian)

Midsummer Night’s Dream

Jack Gleeson as Puck

Ruta Gedmintas as Titania

Spike White as Dick Cowley

James Darch as Richard Burbage

Season of Mists

Esmé Creed-Miles as Delirium

Adrian Lester as Destiny

Freddie Fox as Loki

Clive Russell as Odin

Laurence O’Fuarain as Thor

Ann Skelly as Nuala

Douglas Booth as Cluracan

Song of Orpheus/Thermidor

Ruairi O’Connor as Orpheus

Garry Cooper as Hades

Emmanuela Lia as Naya

Daphne Alexander as Bromie

Tafline Steen as Xantho

Paul Brennen as Captain Carnot

Daniel Hoffmann-Gill as Guillaume

A Game of You (?)/Brief Lives

Indya Moore as Wanda (also in AGoY, but we have filming of her in Brief Lives scenes)

Alison Nadine as Wanda’s mother (will appear where Wanda does)

Brief Lives

Jordan Adene as Donnie Capax

Steve Coogan as Barnabas

Barry Sloane as “The Prodigal.”

Kayode Akinyemi as Kris

Amber Rose Revah as Ishtar

The Kindly Ones

Returning cast members spotted filming

The Wake

Returning cast members spotted filming

High Cost of Living

Adwoa Akoto as Amelia Robbins

Unknown

Jade Burnett as Guardswoman

Ben Allen as Simon

Gavin Spokes as Jeremy

Johnny Labey in an Unknown Role

Ella Rumpf in an Unknown Role

Edward Chlerich in an Unknown Role

Andre Flynn in an Unknown Role

Wil Coban in an Unknown Role

Joel Burman in an Unknown Role

Rilwan Abiola Owokoniran in an Unknown Role

Bridgette Amofah in an unknown role

Jacqueline Boatswain as Prime Minister

Segun Fawole as Laurie Webb

Michael Lyle in an Unknown Role

Charlotte Bate as Tally

So what are we thinking these Unknown story lines and roles might be at this point?? We’ve seen filming for TKO and also The Wake, so at this point I think we’re going beyond what we thought we’d get and are now going to get the entire Sandman storyline.

If I have time later, I’ll add links to the above.

[undiscovered-horizon]

"Sea shanties" - Nikolai Lantsov x Reader

[mentions of a minor injury and blood]

SUMMARY: Alina catches Sturmhond in a surprising moment of weakness when he's quietly watching you sing to yourself and fix the net.

WORDCOUNT: ~ 2.7k

>>Grishaverse-inspired playlist&lt;<

☽ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ☾

The cold wind nips at your exposed skin and part of you beckons you to return under the deck to finish sewing the net back together. But you dread returning among the sailors: despite truly being a lovely bunch, their constant chattering and liveliness can wear you out. The berths and cabins are warm, yes, but the sea is silent, predictable and, most of all, doesn’t expect engagement. As long as you let her be, she leaves you alone in return. Here, where cold wind tugs at your clothes and saltwater spray your face, you can finally take a deep breath and relax your tense shoulders. Stitching the nets is a very monotone, maybe even boring, activity but it’s exactly what you need. Your hands fix the knots on their own, guided by experience, allowing your mind to let go of duties and worries, to slip away into much more pleasant thoughts.

“I’ll wander, weep and moan. All for my jolly sailor, until he sails home,” you sing barely above a whisper. Truthfully, you can’t recall where you learned the song. It’s as if you’ve always known it, the melody haunting you whenever you’re getting lost in thought.

Alina lets out a sigh of relief when she finally finds Sturmhond. For a moment she was really considering whether he could snap his fingers and vanish. He’s leaning against the doorframe but his broad shoulders still block most of the view of the deck. Sturmhond is completely oblivious to her presence and Alina has a bit too much spite in her to let the opportunity go. She quietly approaches him, harbouring a wicked hope that maybe she can scare him and single-handedly rub away that smug smirk of his.

She stops a pace or two behind him, taking in a deep breath to yell right into his ear. "Sturmhond, I-"

But the privateer is quick to silence her:

"Keep your voice down!" he hisses at Alina.

The Sun Summoner frowns at the privateer. Not only did she not scare him but also seems to be interrupting something. And considering his wish to keep things quiet, Sturmhond is doing something he knows he shouldn’t. She stares at him through half-closed eyes, beaming with suspicion, when she hears a faint hum distracting her from constructing some passive-aggressive remark. Alina recognizes your voice, although it sounds a lot softer than what she’s used to. Being the boatswain, you’re mostly heard yelling out orders for the maintenance crew that you’re watching over; forcing seafarers to tie perfect knots, no matter how many tries it takes them and raising Hell for the smallest error in repairing sails. Even if you might come off as harsh, credit is due as Volkvolny’s sails and equipment are kept impeccable. Your discipline has definitely played a significant part in Sturmhond’s successful betrayal of the Black General.

Listening in, over the howling wind and crashing waves, Alina and Nikolai eavesdrop on the sombre song you’re singing quietly to yourself — a story of a woman mourning her lover who never returned from the sea. Despite the heaviness of the words leaving your mouth, your voice is rid of dread as though such a woeful story is nowhere near relatable to you. Alina doesn’t notice that detail but Sturmhond surely does. In fact, it brings him a sense of relief: after all, how could he compete with a dead man for your love? 

A mischievous smile creeps onto Alina’s face as she’s looking between you and Sturmhond. As far as she can tell, you’re completely oblivious to the small audience watching you go about your duties. The sailor, however, is unable to control his soft expression and that lovesick, mellow look in his eyes. To be honest, Sturmhond looks so removed from reality, he might actually be unaware that there are more people in the world than just him and you.

“So, genius privateer Sturmhond, the fright of the sea is in love with the boatswain,” Alina whispers, barely holding in an impish snicker, “but instead of his usual bravado he cowers away, settling for watching her from afar like a creep.”

He seems to ponder her words for a moment, nodding his head ever so slightly. “That is a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?” he asks. Nikolai appears to be well aware of his affliction but rendered powerless in the face of his heart’s desire, he can only accept the state of things.

“I wanted to say pathetic but either way works.”

Sturmhond looks at Alina out of the corner of his eye but only for a moment, unwilling to waste any more time not admiring you. “Wouldn’t it be more pathetic to be the best privateer in all of Ravka’s history but not know love?”

Alina clenches her fists. She puckers her lips, suddenly feeling hot as blood rushes to her face. Saints have mercy - he’s right. The sole act of seeing eye to eye with the blond man isn’t as terrible as the act of admitting it and stroking his ego. “I hate to say it but I agree,” she grits through her teeth.

Nikolai notices her discomfort. He doesn’t hide a certain satisfaction in the effect he has on her - it’s amusing to see her paper mache confidence falter, although he is painfully aware that this will prove problematic later on. “Oh my, I might think you actually tolerate me.”

She forces herself into a contemptuous scowl - it’s a little overdone to be considered natural. “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Alina dismisses him.

“You know, I might be an incredible captain and all but without her…” Sturmhond shakes his head. His eyes follow your barely noticeable movements as you weave the net back together. “This whole ship would have already sunk.”

But she doesn’t believe him - not entirely. If she is to believe Tamar, and Alina doesn’t have much reason not to, Sturmhond chose Volkvolny despite having more captain-worthy vessels available. “Somehow, I don’t believe you’d allow that.”

“Right. If she wasn’t on this ship, I wouldn’t be either.”

Alina almost comes to the conclusion that you’re the sole reason he chose Volkvolny to be his flagship but she mostly dismisses that thought - Sturmhond may be doting but he’s far from completely losing his mind. He simply doesn’t give the impression of someone who’d shuffle his life around just to be able to creep on his boatswain. Little did she know at the time but the strangeness and dread the future holds is going to prove her wrong.

Their conversation is halted when one of the sailors on night watch passes by them. Alina recognizes him by the burn mark spreading across the right side of his face. Tolya called him ‘Marquis’. His long, blond hair sway in the cold wind. As he’s carrying a heavy crate from starboard to port, he’s quietly singing along to your song with certain carelessness as though he’s not entirely aware he’s doing it:

“My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me-”

Alina yawns. She’s had a long, exciting day and tomorrow is not going to be any easier, that she’s sure of. Whatever she wants to tell Sturmhond will have to wait until dawn when the captain wriggles free of his heart’s restless desires. Even though at first she’s annoyed that she has to wait because Sturmhond decided to play a lovesick teenager, she quickly finds it may be for the best: an in-depth discussion will surely erupt between the two of them and doing so when the moon is high just doesn’t seem like the best idea. Aside from that, she can really use a few more hours of sleep.

The Sun Summoner murmurs something resembling ‘Goodnight’ to Sturmhond and turns around to go back to the room she shares with Tamar, when a great wave shakes the ship, throwing her against a wooden wall. Despite the impact not being exceptionally painful to her, she’s sore anyway, the sound of it carried quite well.

Hearing a thud, you look up out of reflex. Glancing around the deck, your watchful eyes stop on Sturmhond, who’s staring back at you. The privateer gives the impression that you’ve just become privy to a side of him he’s not so keen on showing. Perhaps ‘side’ doesn’t quite mirror the idea. ‘Layer’ seems more fitting. It’s as though he dropped the facade of quick wit and evasive answers, only to show the exhaustion of a man carrying the world on his shoulders for a day too long. Despite the silence and distance between you, this staring feels intimate; both of you are showing something raw to one another in the gullible hope that the other will keep it secret.

He appears different, more calm than smug, than he does during the day, although still beautiful enough to make you flustered. Truly, he looks like he breaks the hearts of naive girls for a living. Despite that, as well as your experience with sailors in general, you found yourself craving his attention. Whether it’s intentional or not, Sturmhond has the ability to make people feel seen and their efforts acknowledged. Considering that establishing your position among sea dogs as a woman is a real challenge, maybe it was your hurt ego that clawed at any possibility or delusion of your exceptionalism. And maybe the privateer never intended for you to be hopelessly in love with him. Sure, the two of you have flirted back and forth but you never assumed it means as much to him as it does to you. It’s just the way he is, right?

A sharp, stinging pain in your finger makes you yelp. Discarding fantasies about the blond man in an awful frock coat, you look at your sore hand, now noticing a drop of crimson slowly rolling down your skin.

“Well, shit,” you whisper to yourself.

You put the bleeding finger against your lips. It’s a small cut, it shouldn’t bleed longer than a minute or two and then you can get back to-

“Are you alright?”

Sturmhond’s worried tone elicits mixed but engaging feelings from you. On one hand, you’re giddy at any crumb of attention he gives you. On the other hand, you just failed at the second easiest maintenance job a ship can have - one Hell of a way to make a good impression on the captain that always seems to fall on four paws.

“Yeah, just pricked my finger with a needle fixing the net. Nothing fatal.”

“Why are you doing this anyway? You’re a boatswain. This is a deckhand’s job,” he says as he grabs the net from your hands and tosses it aside.

“Believe it or not but I actually enjoy this. It’s peaceful, helps me get my mind off of things.”

He gives you a cocky half-grin. “Pricking your finger is just a tasteful addition, I presume?”

“Oh, you know, just trying to enrich things,” you joke back.

Sturmhond lets out a quiet, resigned sigh. Of course, you told everyone to go to sleep and finished the odd jobs yourself. “Have Tamar look at this,” he says in a soft voice. Despite the suddenly mild demeanour, his smug expression stays in place. “I’ll get someone else to finish.”

“Alright, captain,” you reluctantly agree. “But can it wait a few minutes? I like it here.”

Your gaze returns to the sapphire waves and black firmament, the line of horizon barely distinguishable between them. To your own surprise, Sturmhond sits down next to you on a barrel. “Just a few,” he says insincerely. You may not know it but he’s willing to sit there with you for much longer than a few minutes. 

Volkvolny bobs on the waves, headed somewhere in the South-East direction. Cold water sprays on your face and clothes but you don’t mind it. It’s quite refreshing. Only now do you notice how quiet the ship is. Most of the crew must already be asleep, revelling in the few hours of rest they have until dawn. The thought of sleeping sailors makes you aware of your own exhaustion, both physical and mental.

You barely stifle a yawn. Too tired to think twice, you lay your head against Sturmhond’s shoulder. He doesn’t shy away, quite the contrary - he wraps his arm around you, pulling you closer to his torso ever so slightly. He smells like expensive, imported cologne and seaweed. The fragrance is hardly likable but you’ve grown to earn some masochistic pleasure from it simply because it belongs to him. The blue frock coat he’s wearing feels nice against your skin.

“Why do you always sing that song?” he asks after a few minutes of silence.

“I always sing or hum doing manual jobs. It’s a habit I can’t kill,” you answer quietly. It’s hard to keep your eyes open and you can hear your words starting to slur. “I grew up in Novokribirsk. I know a lot of shanties.”

“Know anything happier than mourning a sailor?”

“Hardly,” you let out a tired chuckle. “Somehow, sailors have an aversion to happy songs. There’s one you might like.” You clear your throat, trying to recall the song from your cloudy, tired memories. “I’m a broken man on the Os Kervo pier, the last of Ravka’s privateers.”

Sturmhond furrows his eyebrows and he shakes his head in disapproval. “No, it’s still depressing.” Whether he means to or not, his finger is gently brushing circles against your arm.

“Alright, another one, um… Oh! Don’t haul on the ropes, don’t climb up the mast. If you see a sailing ship, it might be your last.”

“Ominous and tedious. I’m actually surprised you can put both in one song.”

To Sturmhond’s dissatisfaction, you pull away from him. Still, the distance between you is considerably small and you feel each other’s breaths on your skin. With half-lidded eyes out of exhaustion, you give him a wide smile. His breath shakes in his chest.

“You know, you might be the most optimistic sailor I’ve ever met,” you confess.

He could kiss you right now. Saints only know how much he wants to. If the odds are in his favour, and his vanity would like to think they are, you might even kiss him back. Or at least not slap him. Would your lips feel soft and warm against his? Would you taste of saltwater and rye bread like he always imagines? Would you giggle nervously after? In that specific way that makes him forget to breathe?

But Sturmhond can only hope your tired mind can’t compute his nervousness. “Does that title come with a prize?”

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Is being the most optimistic sailor truly worth such honour?” he says in an overly dramatic tone. He jokingly puts his hand on his chest. “Are you not underestimating your presence, my lady?”

“You get extra credit because I like you. A lot.” 

Sturmhond swallows nervously. Since when does he get nervous around women? For a moment you’re just staring at each other again. The desire to push his lips against yours is back flooding his mind, now stronger and more desperate than before. The first chance might have been a coincidence but the second… He slowly leans in, watching your face for any signs of discomfort. But you look just as lovely as you did in the morning. His nose almost brushes yours and-

“I might have a happy one,” you suddenly speak up. You look back at the sea, furrowing your eyebrows in deep thought. “Saints, how did it go?” you whisper to yourself. “Prick your finger, it is done. Roll her out and spread her wings, the time has come for better things.”

Having mastered self-control, Sturmhond doesn’t make his disappointment visible. The third time’s the charm, right? “First one that doesn’t make me want to drown myself.” The bitterness in his voice is almost inaudible but you’re too tired to notice.

“I’ll sing you the whole thing but that has to wait until morning, alright?”

“I’m holding you to that.”

His heart quickens its beat when you lay your head back on his shoulder. He should probably tell you to go back to your berth and get some sleep but maybe it can wait a few minutes? He likes it here.

[vampireprincess215]

My baby bats Meet the captain and crew of the illusion 

Kim Hongjoong: the captain

“WE ARE NOT GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT SO JUST GIVE US THE NECKLACE”

Park seonghwa: the Quartermaster

“Listen here princess you should mind your business before you end up hurt.”

Jeong Yunho: the Boatswain

“Seonghwa has been acting weird lately”

Kang yeosang: the navigator

“my job is to navigate not to entertain you”

Choi San: Master-at-Arms

“You should let me teach you how to fight if you are going to stay with us”

Song mingi: master gunner

“I may look intimidating but I’m nice once you get to know me”

Jung wooyoung: the cook

“SAN STOP STEALING THE FOOD BEFORE I HIT YOU WITH A SPOON”

Choi jongho: the medic

“I can try my best to save them but I don’t know if I can”

[aboutyoutoo]

nine people I want to get to know better 💌

thank you for tagging me @boatswainer 🥰 !!

LAST SONG? i might say something stupid by Charli xcx

FAVOURITE COLOUR? blue !! also purple. possibly some middle ground between them.

CURRENTLY WATCHING? umm. the terror (round 3). also watching hannibal with a friend. technically watching succession but i kind of abandoned it for the terror (will get back to it one day i prommy)

LAST MOVIE? the last one I watched in full was Moon (2009). the last one i watched some of was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them because it was on tv and I was playing a fun game of "spot the terror actors" (hiiii ronan raftery 🥰)

SWEET/SPICY/SAVOURY? umm sweet usually.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? married to crown prince rudolf in my mind palace

CURRENT OBSESSIONS? the terror. obviously. also learning countries and being able to place them on a map. (I have pretty much all the names down, working on the placements now. maybe flags next.)

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED? probably a countries of the world quiz xD

no pressure tags !! @fitzrove @kronprinz-rudolf (sorry about the relationship status question jsjdhsjh i love u) @kermitgasm @lunatic-fandom-space @this-is-a-name-dont-worry @purple-confusion @hydromantia @bamboozledandbewildered @vixonimus

[flowerandblood]

Song from the Sea (2)

[ Aemond • Targaryen x Greyjoy! • fem! oc!reader]

[warnings: physical violence, swearing, sexual tension]

[description: Aemond and Aegon arrive in the Iron Islands, to confirm the arrangements made years ago and the marriage of Lord Greyjoy's daughter to Aemond. (Anon Request) During a break on a long journey, at one of the taverns Aegon drags him to, Aemond meets a woman, who will change his life forever. (Anon Request) Smut, angst, sexual tension, domination.]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Previous and next chapters: Masterlist

_____

Watching the waves of blue water lapping against the side of their ship, listening thoughtfully to the restless roar of the element, she considered throwing herself into the sea. Shouldn't she let the Drowned God take her to his depths, take the sea abyss for her husband.

The thought of marriage made her want to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. Her indifferent face looked at her small, blurred reflection, their huge galley sailing at high speed, which made the whole ship rock, her dark hair, partly tied in a bun at the back of her head was blowing in the wind.

She boarded a ship for the first time when she was five years old. She accompanied her father, Dalton Greyjoy, on one of his short trips. He wanted his daughter to get acquainted with the cold and dangerous sea, to understand what the difficult life of a seaman is. She remembered her admiration for the ship's vastness, its huge sails that practically touched the sky.

She heard the shouts and orders of men, strange, tattooed, without eyes, arms or legs, in elaborate, gray and brown dun clothes, running from one point of the boat to another. Although it seemed like chaos at first to her, then she realized that everyone was working like clockwork, adapting to the changes in the sky and water.

Then she fell in love with the sea.

She first escaped from a stronghold in the Iron Islands at the age of eight. She packed a small bag, in her child's opinion, her most necessary things and sneaked out of the castle under the cover of night, heading towards the port, leaving only a letter.

She boarded Devilwind's galley unnoticed. In the morning one of the boatswains found her and took her to Captain John Senray, her father's closest friend.

Captain Senray was ten years older than her father, his long dark beard was covered with earrings and beads. She still remembered him looking at her, thinking hard, the boat creaking loudly around them from the speed that they had reached at sea.

After much thought, he decided that they couldn't turn back if they were to get the goods on time. He ordered her to sit in her cabin and obey all his orders.

She spent a week on his ship. The men, mostly bearded, with long, sticky hair, smelling of sea and rum, welcomed her as if she were their own daughter. They thought it worthy that Lord Greyjoy's daughter would go on a sea voyage, and they liked that she had no fear.

They taught her how to tie ropes and look at the stars, set a course, read maps and signs in the sky, the clouds that told her if it was going to be clear or a storm was coming.

She helped them with everything she could. They did not allow her to participate in their drunken revels, but they protected her and gave her a sense of complete security, combined with a freedom that she felt every time she looked overboard and saw only the endless sea.

When she returned home a week later, all dirty and plastered, her robes torn, her father greeted her with a love and tenderness that she never knew he was capable of. Although her mother died of worry every day, he was proud that his child felt the call of the sea. He didn't want her to be a plain, gentle lady like her mother.

Lady Greyjoy made her husband happy only twice: the day she gave him his beloved daughter and the day she gave him a son and heir. He considered her death in childbirth to be the natural order of things, with which he came to terms quite quickly, unlike his daughter.

She wanted to throw herself into the sea after her, to apologize to her for all she had suffered. She would wake up sometimes in the night, feeling like her mother was giving birth again, screaming so loud that her heart clenched.

From that moment on, she tried to pretend that the subject of marriage did not concern her. She was at sea with Captain Senray who already treated her as part of his crew.

She knew that her father loved her more than her brother, who had a softer nature, being more like their mother inside. He also swam at sea, but not so willingly, feeling weary from long voyages. Their father often told her that if he could, he would sign over the entire Iron Islands and the rest of his inheritance to her.

However, when the king proposed that they make a deal, her father betrayed her. He explained to her that the Iron Islands with the support of the crown would be richer and stronger than ever. That as her father expects from her and knows that she will fulfill her vocation.

She wanted to spit in his face then, considering that he had abandoned her, as he had abandoned her mother.

But nothing came out of her mouth.

Now, standing on Devilwind's galley, sailing back to the Iron Islands to meet her future husband, she wondered, if it wouldn't be better for her to just end it all.

She could still hear her mother's scream, see the brief fragment of her body lying in blood, that she saw through the crack in the door, which a moment later someone closed, noticing her. She thought, that the same would happen to her. That she would die giving birth to a man, who would be completely indifferent to her.

She shuddered and leaned forward, as they suddenly heard a loud, piercing roar above them. For a moment she thought, that she had lost her hearing, then looked up and saw two giant dragons, flying over them at such speed, that their entire galley began to rock side to side, causing panic. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought, that it was him.

She turned quickly, glancing after the great monsters flying through the sky, and saw, that they began to circle above the ground, landing. She knew, that there was a port nearby and ran to the captain to beg him to dock. She told him, that she wanted to meet her future husband.

Captain Senray and Walter Moore decided to accompany her in case of trouble. The route at night was dangerous and led only to one village. She knew there was an inn there, and that perhaps they had gone there. All three of them knew exactly the owner of this establishment, because they had stayed there more than once. She felt her heart pounding at the thought, that she might soon meet the person, on whom her entire future life depended.

They stepped inside, pulling off their hoods, looking around. She saw him at once, his back to them, watching them warily over his shoulder, his lips pursed. She knew, that it was him, because of his eyepatch and the light shade of his eye, unnatural in this part of the country. With difficulty she looked away from him, feeling her whole body tremble.

They went to the counter and ordered beers, exchanging pleasantries with the host. Then they approached one of the occupied benches. The men recognized them at once, so they only bowed their heads in appreciation and got up to find another place. Only then did they make themselves comfortable, taking off their coats. She now had a perfect view of their table. She barely suppressed an amused smile, as she saw him staring intensely at her and her waist.

His brother was babbling to him, and her future husband was answering him impatiently. He got up, she heard him say in the distance, that he wanted to leave and move on. Her heart squeezed at the thought.

After a while, however, they began to struggle with each other, and his drunken brother practically shouted, that they came here on dragons. Looking at them, she decided, that Prince Aemond's brother was an idiot.

She wasn't surprised, when he walked over to the counter to order something for himself, furious and resigned. She thought, that he had a very interesting face, and his scar didn't take anything away from him. Besides, she'd seen plenty of mutilated men, and such physical deficiencies didn't bother her much anymore.

She got up and walked over to him, figuring, that she wanted to tease him a little. She wasn't afraid of the consequences, she knew, that everything was already decided. She wanted to see, what awaited her, what kind of man he was.

When she bought him a round, he just looked at her searchingly, his face seemed to be made of stone. He was very tense, his eye cold, furious and disapproving. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw, that he had one hand on the dagger. There was some tension between them.

She thought, that he was handsome. That she could go upstairs and give herself to him, if he wanted to. See if he's a good lover. She smiled at the thought.

“Come upstairs with me. By the time we're done, your brother will fall asleep here, on the table.” She said calmly, softly, looking at him with her mouth slightly parted. She thought, that she wanted it. That she needed relief, because the frustration, pain, and fear she was feeling were too much to bear.

She didn't expect what would happen between them. She hadn't suspected, how he would react to her touch, hadn't expected, how wonderfully his sapphire eye graced his face.

She did not expect, that his disability was the reason for his great complexes. She thought, that in King's Landing, where everyone walked around in colorful robes, adorned with rich stones, he must have felt like a monster. She thought, that among her people, he would find acceptance, stop thinking, that he lacked anything.

The thought of him being like her, made her lose her temper. Originally, she just wanted to get fucked by him, but she ended up riding him. Her orgasm was so strong, that it was almost painful, her muscles clenching greedily around him, drawing low moans from him, that sent shivers down her spine.

In addition, she allowed him to cum inside herself, although no other man, with whom she had known this kind of pleasure, had been granted this honor before.

As he left, she slowly began to calm down. She thought, maybe there was hope for them. That maybe she'll find at least a little happiness with him.

However, as she officially entered the hall of her stronghold, wearing her most elegant, black gown, she saw his expression change from shock to fury. If he could, he would kill her with his eye.

She saw him clench his jaw, turn his head away, squeezing his eye shut, trying to calm himself down and not show anything. She wanted to laugh at the sight.

Her father ordered a small feast to be prepared for them, attended by Prince Aegon and her brother, Laren. She was seated next to her fiancé and even wanted to exchange a few courtesy words with him, but he beat her to it.

"Do not speak to me." He hissed softly like a snake, and she pursed her lips, arching an eyebrow, amused, simply taking a piece of roast into her mouth, unfazed. She decided not to force herself on him and waited, until he calmed down.

Her father had been sullen throughout the entire dinner and hardly spoke, leaving the entire burden of discussion on her younger brother's shoulders. Laren was a great talker, and though he tried to get something out of her future husband, he answered practically only in grunts, thoughtful and angry, completely in his own world. She thought, looking at him, that if he could, he would breathe fire and burn them all, including himself.

He was the first to get up after dinner. At first she decided she wouldn't run after him, but then she found herself wanting to drive him mad with rage. She stood up, thinking, that maybe he might even kill her, while doing her a favor. She wasn't afraid of death or the brutality he was known for.

He turned after her, surprised to see, that she had followed him into the chamber, that Lord Greyjoy had assigned him. She closed the door behind her, leaning her back against it, looking at him with a haughty, calm smile.

"Get out." He spoke low, menacing, dangerous, madness in his eye, that made her belly hot. She thought, that he was about to explode and licked her lips involuntarily.

“No.” She spoke calmy, sensually, softly. She saw a grimace cross his face, for some memory of their shared elation, that he wanted to get rid of.

He walked over to her unhurriedly, his eye black, his face expressionless. He grabbed her neck, his large hand slowly tightening on her slender, soft skin, forcing her to tilt her head back slightly.

He stared at her for a moment, and she could feel his hot, uneasy breath on her face. She smelled him again, the smell of smoke and something else, that she couldn't describe. She felt wetness between her thighs for some reason.

"Fucking whore." He spoke softly, lightly, not even blinking, his good eye wide open, as if he was just fighting hard not to strangle her. She smiled at his words, making him purse his lips.

“From what I remember, it takes two to elevate between a man and a woman. So you're just as much a whore, as I am." She whispered, moving closer to him as if to kiss him.

His hand gripped her neck tighter, slamming her whole body brutally against the back of the door with a dull thud. She felt him draw in a breath as he felt her short, tiny knife hidden in her sleeve, pressed against the side of his stomach.

"I could kill you for those words. For such an insult to the prince and the crown." He said through clenched teeth, not controlling himself. She thought, that he had just reached the height of his rage. She parted her lips slightly, impassive, looking at him with dreamy eyes.

"Take your beautiful princely knife from your belt and cut my throat. Punish me for wanting to meet a man, for whom I would give my freedom, my body, whose future descendants would tear my womb. With whom I will fly to King's Landing to be nothing, sewing with sweet, perfumed ladies fabrics, praising his future victories and achievements." She laughed lightly, warmly, feeling her throat constrict not because of his strength, but because of the tears, that she was holding back with the last of her willpower.

She saw him hesitate, something changed in his face. Her words surprised him and knocked him off balance.

"Or let's both assume that it never happened. That you fucked some strange, unknown woman, and I fucked some unknown, strange man. The last joy before an arranged wedding. Isn't that beautiful?” She asked quietly, one tear streaming down her face.

Her mask fell down. Her mouth went from smiling to helpless, her lips began to twitch, her body relaxed, as if she was about to collapse and pass out, her gaze pleading and tired. The knife slipped from her hand, falling with a loud thud to the floor.

She saw, that he was dismayed and surprised. His grip loosened suddenly and he took a few steps away from her, as if he didn't recognize her. She sank to the ground, burying her head between her knees and just started sobbing.

"I should have thrown myself into the sea." She said finally, covering her head with her hands, as if he was about to kick and punch her.

The fact, that he was in this chamber at that moment, was indifferent to her. All the grief, that she'd felt for months, ever since she found out, that her father had sold her, had just been released.

She didn't care what he thought of her, whether he thought she was a whore, an idiot, or a lunatic. For a moment, all she heard was the sound of her ragged breathing, and nothing else. She knew, that he was looking at her.

After a while, she heard him move and sit up on bed, with a loud creaking of wood. She looked up slightly and saw, that he was bent over, his face buried in his hands. She thought, that he was as broken as she was.

She changed her position and lay down on the floor, staring straight ahead at the legs of a small, wooden table, that stood at the back of the chamber. Her future husband looked at her, his expression uncertain and puzzled.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at her, as if he was about to faint from exhaustion and frustration himself. She didn't even look at him, when she heard his words.

"I'm lying." She said indifferently. He sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands again, apparently deciding, that it was too much for him.

She heard him begin to unbutton his jacket, then pull off his boots, knocking them to the ground with a loud thud. He blew out the candles lit in the chamber, making it completely dark. Then she heard the rustling of cloth. He lay down on the bed with his back to her, pretending, that she wasn't there.

She thought, for some reason, that she wanted to stay with him. She'd slept on the floor more than once on ships, and it wasn't uncomfortable for her at all, though he probably thought she was crazy. She didn't want to be alone in her chamber.

In the Iron Islands, the approach to male-female relationships was lighter, and she knew, that as long as he didn't kick her out, she could do whatever she wanted.

She fell asleep after a while, crying without a sound, looking at the moon, that shone brightly outside the window. She dreamed of her mother again, covered in blood. Then she had a dream about her father, saying, that he was proud of her. She cried in her sleep, begging him not to give her away.

She flinched, as she felt someone suddenly grab her and throw her over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes. For a moment she didn't know where she was, so she started kicking.

"Stop it." He hissed as he laid her on his bed, and only then did she recognize his face.

She pursed her lips, a bit embarrassed by her outburst. She straightened her long dress, as he laid down next to her, with his back to her.

"Stop crying and sleep."

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @astral-blossoms @randomdragonfires @amirawritespoorly @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes @darylandbethfanforever9 @fudge13 @snh96 @diosademuerte @rwdkarla @echos-muses

Others: @letmeloveyouuuu @fantasias-creativebubble

[kyred]

I'd like to hear more about your dnd characters, I love their designs

Aight, first up the main 2! Shriek, my Kenku Death Cleric! He wields a cursed longsword that seals away the souls of those killed by it and gains power from that. On his other arm is a tower shield that's nifty. He wears adamantine armour and is VERY tanky as a result.

His entire deal is he was from a kenku village in the woods distant from most major civilizations/cities, so his hometown has a kenku made sign language! He was banished after stumbling upon a dark secret within the church, sold off into slavery, his home being burned down as he was carted away, and the head priest smiled towards him cruelly. He was branded and discarded when he lost his use, thrown off a cliff and left for death. Clinging to life, somehow, he was saved by a small group of travelling clerics, awaking in their church, bandaged and healed up. His wounds healed overtime, save for the branding which was done in the middle of his back.

After that, he went on a journey of vengeance, planning to burn down his former town. Which usually lead to him getting lost and turned around as he didn't know much of where it was since he never left it before so.

Eventually he ends up going to court, alongside a few others for random and petty crimes, and talked not only his own, but everyone else out of going to jail.

Over the year he's known them all, he's gone from edgy and murderous to a dumbass who casts ray of sickness when he can. Oh also he went from skin and bones to a borb so there's that.

Curtis!

Angry, grump raccoon, former orc(pig orc cause we love them more) cursed into racc. Now he's on a quest to undo it all! Time paladin with the hopes he can rewind himself if he gets strong enough.

But wait, there's more!!!

Esper, Kobold Bard, Former pet looking for his family.

So, his egg was bough by a rich family as a gift for their kid, and was raised in a decent situation. Him and the kid are buds, despite the. Power balance of master and pet. Kid grew up and went "hey, do you want to be free? find your clutch, even?" and esper went "yeah sounds neat!" so yeah. Never really got to play him past a few sessions..

Grizz, Ursine Artificer, Trying to find a way home.

A wanderer who found himself in a world not quite like his own, left with questions on how or rather IF he can even get home. Currently making a device to blast a hole into the fabric of reality to see if that works or not, regardless of the cost.

Silver, Tabaxi Barbarian!

Not much with him, he was kinda made for a dungeon crawl but he was hot so I want to give him a proper background besides idiot who left town to go on adventures.

Bahmet, Dragonborn Rogue, went on an adventure as a young adult and realized OOPS IT ISN'T FUN.

In the campaign he was in (like most of these, the DM either abandoned them part way or they died/off screened left), he became a highway bandit after years of hardships from trying to be an adventurer. He was in a terrible state when he tried to mug a sea captain but was later taken in, be it out of pity or genuine interest he doesn't know. This happened to him like a decade after he left his cozy village.

Bahmet had a loving family who was supportive of him going off on adventures and he just ended up sucking at it really bad!!! The captain taught him how to NOT suck and, another decade later became the ship's boatswain. He now writes letters to his parents and several siblings about how his adventures are going and how he misses them...

THERE, the lore on almost every DnD character I've had. The other 2 I've played were never fleshed out so they're just, a half orc, and dragonborn ranger. Kinda wish I had but, the games they were in were dropped by the DM pretty fast, alas. I had a tabaxi sorcelock prepped incase of emergency but never needed to pop him out.

I REALLY love making new characters, and sometimes even end up making them based on songs. Shriek, for example, is based upon the mind electric! He was a stable, happy lad until he was subjected to abuse after being delivered and carried away.

Grizz is, tbh, based on Mr. Grizz in a lot of ways.

Curtis honestly came to me by accident cause I wanted to play a furry in a campaign but didn't want to be weird even if it was with other furries. He was originally a HUMAN turned tanuki!

Esper and Bahmet were both just, I wanted to be a funny lizard man planning classes that do NOT compliment them AT ALL.

And Silver was just made over a week when Shriek died in a previous campaign (from the same DM who had a tendency to drop campaigns partway through...)

Not sure if I went on for a little too long but, yeah! That's all my boys that really matter tbh. Love em all pretty equally and hope to give them all a chance in the spotlight someday.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The Andrews Sisters—Maxene, Patty, and Laverne—established a dressing room canteen for war bond purchasers on September 19, 1942. Here, they sell a $100 bond to Corporal Howard Dulang of Fort Dix, N.J., as Boatswain 2nd Class Fred Severance of the Coast Guard looks on. Maxene acts as desk and makes the V for victory sign as Patty fills out the sales record and Laverne collects the money. Corporal Dulang is now privileged to visit the girls backstage in their dressing room at the Paramount Theatre, where they have installed a small refreshment stand. The sisters wait on the bond buyers and give each an autographed victrola record of one of their songs.

Photo: Charles Kenneth Lucas for the AP

[charlesdesvoeux]

nine people i want to get to know better

tagged by both @maedhrus and @zaegreus thank you so much!!!!

LAST SONG? - "mean" by nicole dollanganger

FAVORITE COLOR? - dark red

CURRENTLY WATCHING? - yellowjackets!!! it's pretty great

LAST MOVIE? - the great white silence by herbert ponting (i've even reviewed it here). terra nova's grip on me tightens by the hour lol

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY? - sweet!

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? - single

CURRENT OBSESSIONS? - polar exploration history more generally and the terra nova more specifically

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED? - "popculturechat reddit". yeah ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

no pressure tags!!! @petoskeystones @leadandblood @ionisable @birdthatisbored @mmetacarpals @cashmere-caveman @lyaios @boatswainer @bunnygibson

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

trying to offer my dad a playlist of songs I've been listening to lately but one of my top songs this past month is Never Let Go by Bryan Adams from The Guardian (2006) and I just cannot bring myself to send my Chief Boatswain's Mate father a song from the movie about the USCG Rescue Swimmers

[lutethebodies]

LTB Tav Tuesdays: Cannor Coth, the Lost Singer (Part 2)

A very loose version of @kelandrin's Tav Backstory Bash to follow-up this post about Cannor, my first and favorite 5e/BG3 character. Since he had an established bio long before I'd heard of BG3, I'm using my own homebrew setting names and can switch them out for BG3/Faerun stuff at the end. Is it tropey and clichéd? Probably. Do I care? I do not. Here goes:

Vitals: 37-year-old human male Bard (College of Swords), with a background of Spy (Artisan in BG3).

Childhood. Cannor is the accidental result of a tryst between two Kalen exiles: stoic field surgeon Macanso of Cutheleann and unruly Lady Corda of House Baethu, who met in the stratified yet chaotic confines of the Kalen rebel outpost at Sevánhra in rural Narán. Cannor's childhood was already stunted by limited contact with his mother—a connection cut permanently at age seven, when Corda joined the Exiles' Army in their doomed crusade to retake the Kalen homeland from usurpers and invaders. Dishonorably discharged and increasingly alcoholic, Macanso tried to train Cannor as a healer, but the boy longed for escape to the wider world, enraptured by stories and songs of travellers, traders, and sailors passing through Sevánhra's tiny port. When Mac finally drank himself to death, Cannor got his chance, and at age ten stowed away on a Caranacian ship bound for the City of Fortune.

Adolescence. Discovered and mentored by the lenient boatswain Maramad the Tramontine, Cannor worked for his bunk until the ship was ambushed in the Narrow Sound by bloodthirsty pirates. With his protector among the dead, Cannor was thrown off the ship in Caranacia and sought Maramad's sister Cabella at the Wandering Star Inn. Once there, Cannor awkwardly and soon expertly charmed his way into found family, friendships, and flings—finagling his way through the City of Fortune's taverns, markets, shrines, and academies until he could handle himself in a fight, in the sheets, on stage, or in negotiations. This was also when he experienced a catalyzing event: witnessing the famed traveling bard Ruqirt Al-Zeem (aka "Raz the Rambler") perform at the Wandering Star.

Adulthood. Gripped by ambition, at 18 Cannor left Caranacia on a multi-year voyage, singing and strumming through the ancient cities and storied nations further west, from theocratic Emberhaven to cosmopolitan Great Zeyira, from the archaic Hundred Islands to austere Sanduzca, City of Balance. His shortest version of that story is that "it was a great plan until it wasn't." He fell in love with wayward Yedalari acolyte (and eventual semi-divine "Queen of Revels") Apertumina of Labri, and the trip soon soured into disaster, throwing him in with traders, fanatics, smugglers, acolytes, slaves, pirates, caravans, and troupes before ending in a Sanduzcan dungeon thousands of miles south and worlds away from home. After rotting there for a year, Cannor escaped with a fellow prisoner, the Schismastic apostate and Ovalansi warrior Suvarro Egir, eventually returning to Caranacia by his late 20s and re-establishing himself as "The Lost Singer."

Recent Events. Recruited by the Equiposium (Caranacia's academy of diplomacy and espionage), at 32 he continued performing as a cover for intrigue high and low among the city's movers, shakers, guilds, and gangs. The power and privilege went to his head, and after too many conflicting clients and tangled affairs—most explosively with the ambitious noble scion Esadora de Errocamesi, niece of his Equiposian spymaster Regina de Atraveisa—Cannor caused several simultaneous diplomatic crises, and was banished from Caranacia. With Esa's help he eluded capture, landing in the distant backwater of Saithaaven, and at 37 is getting ever more desperate to repay that debt and regain his independence, and someday return to his adopted home city.

Nua-to-Faerun Parallels: The Naransi city of Caranacia, Cannor's adopted hometown, is a sort-of medieval Iberian/Al-Andalus-esque civilization in my homebrew world. It's sort of the Barcelona to its two sister cities Narancia (faux-Cordoba) and Enancia (faux-Gibraltar). In Faerun it most easily becomes Baldur's Gate—and its Equiposium is a handy stand-in for the Harpers. Cannor's current location, Saithaaven (Seven Harbors), is much more of a Celtic-Teutonic mashup a bit like medieval London or, in Faerun, probably the chaotic frontier settlement of Luskan. Regardless, he was unhappily stuck in the dangerous sticks.

BG3 Notes: Before being captured by the Nautiloid, Cannor was scheming ways to get back into Baldur's Gate. He plays original songs, so he doesn't get many gigs and had despaired of gaining enough fame to return home. He was chased by Karlach, seduced by Lae'zel, and kissed by Shadowheart, but fell hard for Minthara—both physically and emotionally, and was obsessed with helping her escape the cult (to the bewilderment of his companions). Her value of loyalty above all else, even power, was ultimately what hooked him—but her contemptuous disdain for the Harpers didn't hurt. Neither did her beauty, of course.

As for the other companions and followers, Cannor respected Aylin like an elder sister for umpteen reasons, and related to Jaheira's resigned ambivalence about the Harpers. He empathized with Gale and Astarion. He tolerated Minsc and Wyll and steered well clear of Mizora. Oh, and he fucking loathes Volo. After the events of BG3, Cannor found himself involved with yet another strikingly compelling noble (Minthara), and yet another overly-ambitious scheme (taking over the city with her, from the inside out). It would require some artful tact and deft dealing, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

[coldfruitwater]

i was tagged by @oceancamp to list five songs i’m obsessed with atm! tysm yayy

i tag @fructidors @boatswainer @apsleycherry @mycological-mariner @themidnightwitch44 @johntorrington

[cha0tician]

in falinesti you're basically stacked on top of each other if you're actually living in the branches. even hollowed out knotholes along the trunk get very crowded. there's halls sung straight through parts of the trunk so you can access your house. the rings can act like landmarks--there's one thats dark and has a squiggle in it, take a turn there. the magic used for construction, regulations on how far apart the levels had to be, and the tree itself keep it very stable even while it moves.

the other tree cities of valenwood, they can use sap for bridges and stairs and that's how you get the beautiful amber glow of silvenar. not so for falinesti! to ensure everything works correctly in a less than stationary city, and without having to have a chorus of experienced engineers on standby, most of the cities infrastructure is done physically. sure, you carve the streets with song just the once, and that's how you carve out homes, but the bridges from branch to branch? the pulley elevators cranked like a boatswain would? the movement will over time crack and snap even the thickest sap construction, each becomes a whole undertaking to replace. no, better to drop elevators with pulleys and use suspended bridges.

as i was saying. the branches are very crowded. the trunk, there's a lot of wood between you and the next floor. branches? not so much necessarily! you've built on top a branch, then there's two apartments below you, and a knothole in the trunk next door that goes straight through the other end of the tree with all kinds of sorts coming in and out. someone's residence is suspended from the branch above your market stall. bosmer traditionally have big families, but with such limited space, you can't expect to renovate for any unplanned additions, so you might send the oldest kids up and over a few branches.

for families that can't afford that, most end up following the city on the ground, or moving away from the city entirely. followers of the city have a hard life. other than lower class families, who usually make their livings in operating the pulleys and bridges, you'll find thrill seekers, hunters, and traveling merchants along falinesti's roots. many foreigners prefer to do business under the city's shade over being hoisted high into the air, so even though it's a bustling area with no permanent private structures, it's not uncommon for sensitive meetings to be held with naught but a tent to keep out curious ears.

all of valenwood operates based on the seasons, but nowhere more than falinesti, who must adapt to the tree shedding some of its leaves--thankfully not all, not in the climate!--and exposing certain sections to more of the weather conditions, a position that changes each year at random. not to mention if a new twig sprouts up right in the middle of your street the following spring!

the highest branches are reserved for those who serve arkay, and his temples, as that is where sky burials take place. bosmer are returned to the food chain by scavenging birds, insects, and rodents, their bodies tended to through decomposition by the priests. these branches are often bleached pale brown to white by the sun, which is fitting, given that white is the color it death to the bosmer, as opposed to the rich golden brown of life, the color of auriel and the spring suns return. these branches are of the few places you can dress in white without it being seen as an ill omen--white is also the color of hircine, and of animals he has selected to struggle constantly to survive, their pelts unnatural against the forest background.

[elxgantcaptain]

Captain Hook's crew

Throughout the movies (and some of the book) we learn about the different members of Hook's crew and even reveal some of their names. Each seem to have a LITTLE bit of a backstory? (somewhat)

I'm fairly sure Hook has had many more crew members before, to run a ship isn't a small deal, he needs plenty of men to run it and you DO see more crew members in the films though these names belong to the pirates that make regular appearances.

These reoccurring pirates are Smee, Mullins, Wibbles, Turk, Black Murphy, Bill Jukes, Starkey, Cecco, Skylights, Noodler, Sharky and Bones.

Smee: Self explanatory, we all know who Smee is! Though it would be incorrect to properly assume that Smee is his first mate, technically, in the books, Smee is Hook's boatswain, aka, the man in charge of the sails and is an expert on the subject (wind, furling, etc) Though we also see Smee's other talents too, in various aspects he's shown to be cooking a lot (despite the fact the ship is mentioned to already have a cook) although its proven in the series that his cooking skills are to be desired. Smee is also a little bit of a medic and of course, a caretaker, mostly to Hook.

Mullins: Not much known about him, although, in book, he gets stabbed and killed by one of the lost boys. In the second movie, he's the first to fall in the water to try and grab the diamond.

Wibbles: He doesn't appear in the book at all, but he's usually seen either with a dagger or a gun or both together. He seems to be adept in dual combat and in the first movie, he is the one to say that 'we should be in the business of plunderin' ships' when the crew are growing bored of chasing peter.

Turk: In Epic Mickey his 'real' name is apparently revealed to be Damian Salt. He also doesn't appear in the books, in the films, its implied that he is either from Arabia or India and its backed up by the fact he's one of the only pirates we see wielding a scimitar.

Black Murphy: Seen in the first movie, he often is seen with a dagger and talently at using one too, able to shoot it from his mouth to hit a target.

Bill Jukes: Perhaps the one we see the most with a gun in hand, or even a blunderbust, he seems to favour the bullet rather than the blade, though we do see him with one. In the cut song 'I'll give you one guess' its revealed that Jukes joined the crew when he was just a kid, when he was a boy and Hook taught him the life of being a sailor and a pirate, therefore, we can say that there are others in the crew that have been taken on from a young age.

Starkey: In the book its said that Starkey was Hook's butler and also a gentleman, as well as a first mate. For continuation reasons, I dumped the idea of him being gentlemanly and a butler. Starkey is still, however, the first mate, being the one that always is seen steering the ship in Hook's absence from the wheel. By no means is he smart, but he is strong and knows his way around a ship, which deemed him well as first mate. He also always seems to have a dagger in his mouth.

Cecco: Not named in the films, but appears in the book as an Italian man in the crew, its said that he cut his name into the back of the govenor at a prison before being taken in by Hook. He's killed by pan in the book. The first image is from the 1904 version, from this, I've picked out pirates who he COULD be in the disney version.

Skylights: Also not offically appearing in the films, he appears in the book, being the one that Hook kills for bumping into him by accident. We can only deduce that Skylights is always the pirate in any of the movies that Hook himself kills, so in the Disney version, Skylights is the man singing, which Hook cuts short with a bullet.

Noodler: Not really appearing in the films, but in the book, Noodler is said to be a pirate with his hands on backwards. Although he never makes an appearance in the Disney animated version, he does in the 2003 live action.

Sharky and Bones: These two only appear in Jake and the Neverland Pirates, although you can possible link them to one of the other members of Hook's crew in the movies. In the Neverland Pirates series, they seemed to a couple of musicians, always singing and playing instruments for Hook.

So there you have it! uwu thats the best rundown of the crew I can give!